Bottle-sealing cap



Sept. 19, 1939. H. F. KNlEscHE BOTTLE SEALING CAP O'Iiginal Filed Oct.'ll, 1932 lIlIlI Patented Sept. 19, 1939 UNITED STATES BOTTLE-SEALING CAPHarry F, Knesche, Baltimore, Md.

original application october 11, 1932, serial No.

637,308. Divided and this application January 9, 1939, Serial No.250,069

3 Claims.

vide a cap of this character which is so formed Y that it maybe placedon the lip of the bottle l mouth and molded so that it will t smoothlyand intimately against and around such lip and'will be locked thereon bythe inherent properties of the material composing the cap, therebyprecluding the presence of crevices or other spaces be- A.l tween it andthe lip which might admit or per# mit the lodgment of bacteria or other.unsanitary matter, so that the sealing cap will maintain the bottlemouth and lip in a. clean and sanitary condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cap of this characterwhich can be manufactured inexpensively and can be amxed rapidly andwith facility to the bottle mouth by a rela'.-

tively simple means. To these and other ends, the invention consists ofcertain features which will be hereinafter mor fully described andclaimed. l

' In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the pref erred manner of. moldinga sealing cap according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing dies suitable for compressing theflange of the molded cap at intervalsk around itscircumference; Fig. 3isa fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken throughportions of the dies shown in. Fig. 2, showing the manner in which theflange of the cap is compressed thereby at intervals around itscircumference;

Fig. 4 Ais a view of the cap, partly in section, showing its conditionafter being acted upon by the dies shown in Fig. 2;-

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the mouthA of a milk bottle andmeans for remolding pr affixing the sealing cap upon the bottle;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line li--G in Fig. 5;

Fig."7 is an elevation of the neck or upper end of a bottle, showing thesealing cap molded and locked thereon; z

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 in Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view, on an enlarged scale, showing the mannerin which the 'fibrous structure of the flange of the sealing. cap isaltered during the molding thereof upon the lip of. the bottle.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in theseveral gures.

'I'he bottle sealing cap, according to the present 5 invention, ispreferably molded to approximately its finished form from paper pulpsuch for example as that commonly used for making seamless paperarticles, or from similar brous material. As shown for examplein Fig. 1,a pair of l0 wire mesh or other foraminous mold members I and`2 havingapproximately the form of the cap to be molded may be pressed togetherupona Vbody or layer 3 of wet or moistand relatively loose paper pulpwhich may be produced in any l5 well known manner, the portion of thepulp between the mold members being squeezed to press therefrom theexcess water or moisture and to reduce the same to the desiredthickness, of the cap, the cap thus formed having a disc-likepor- 20tion 4 and a surrounding annular flange 5 of -a diameter to fit over thelip of. the bottle mouth, this ange being conical or flaring toward itsfree edge to facilitate manufacture of the cap and enable nesting of thecaps for shipment to the 2g point' of application.

The cap, molded in the manner described, after partial or completedrying thereof, is subjected to an action which compresses portions ofits flange spaced circumferentially thereof, leaving 30 the interveningportions of the ange uncompressed. This action is preferablyperformed bythe means shown in Fig. 2 wherein 6 is a female die the opening in whichis iluted to form ribs 1 which extend parallel to the axis, of the open-35 ing and are spaced around its circumference, forminggrooves 8betweenthem, and 9 represents a male die or plunger which operatesthrough the opening in the die 6. The die 9 is of such a diameter thatthe clearance between it 40 andthe inner surfaces of the ribs 1 is lessthan the thickness of the flange of the cap so that when the cap isplaced between the dies as shown in Fig. 2 and the `die 9 is forcedthrough the die `6, the ange 5 of the cap will be compressed be- 45tween the inwardly projecting ribs 1 in the die 6 and the periphery ofthe die 9, thereby causing v the ange of the cap to be compressed orreduced in thickness on` the lines I0 which are 'spacedcircumferentially around the ange, leaving in- 50 tervening uncompressedareas il in the portions of the -ange which were Vaccommodated by thegrooves 8 in the die 6 as shown in Fig. 3, these alternately compressedand uncompressed areas thus formed-in the flange extending4 transversely55 ample as that disclosed in my prior Patent No.

1,965,550 granted July 3, 1934, and a portion of it has been thus actedupon by the dies 6 and 9,

the alternately arranged compressed and uncompressed portions ||l and IIin its ange forming flutes therein.

' The iluted cap embodying the present invention -is capable of beingaffixed to the bottle by molding the flange of the cap upon the lipsurrounding` the mouth of the bottle, and such molding of the cap uponthe bottle may be accomplished by relatively simple means such forexwhich means is herein shown. In the present instance, I3 representsthe upper end or neck of an ordinary milk bottle thelrnouth III of whichis surrounded as usual by an annular lip |5 which is convexed outwardlyin vertical section so that the lower portion of this lip where it joinsthe bottle neck will be of reduced diameter relatively to the upperportion of this lip. The bottle, which is filled at the time the sealingcap is applied, may be closed by the usual closing disk I6 which may bepressed as usual in the recessed mouth of the bottle. After the cap, inthe form shown in Fig. 4, is placed over the bottle mouth so that itsdisc-like portion rests upon the top edge of the bottle and its flangeextends downwardly around the lip I5,

an annularly arranged set of pressure applying springs I8 aresimultaneously forced inwardly against the -flange of the cap, the caphaving been moistened with water-either before ory after being placed onthe bottle so as to soften somewhat the pulp or flbrous materialcomposing it, and while the pressure is applied to the flange of the capby the springs, I8, heat is also applied to expel moisture from the pulpor fibrous material composing the flange and thus assist in imparting apermanent set to the flange. The springs I8 are each segmental in formso that they collectively form a substantially complete circle aroundthe flange of the cap and the lip of the bottle, and each of thesesprings is concave on its inner surface in a plane transverse to itscircumferential length to conform with the outwardly convexed contour ofthe bottle lip I5. Therefore, forcing of thesprings I8 simultaneously iinwardly against and entirely around the angeiof the cap applied overthe lip I5 of the bottle will cause the flange of the cap to be moldedupon and around the lip I5 and to assume a contour which conforms withthat of the lip, the lower edge of the flange of the cap ybeing pressedinwardlyso that`it underlies the outwardly projecting portion of thebottle lip and thereby becomes locked thereon. The

. diameter or circumferential extent of the lower portion of the flangeof the cap is reduced to enable it to thus underlie or lock beneath thelip I5 of the bottle, and such reduction in the diameter orcircumferential extent of the flange of the cap is facilitated or madepossible by the previous formation of the-alternately arranged-compressed and uncompressed portions I and II spaced in the directionof the circumference of the flange. The simultaneous inward pressureexerted on the flange of the cap by the surrounding pressure-applylngsprings or members I8 causes radially inward pressure to be applied ltothe projecting uncompressed portions I| of the flange and also imposes acircumferential compression upon the flange tending to contract itsdiameter or circumferential extent, and these forces thus set up in thepulp or fibrous material composing the flange cause the fibers from therelatively thicker uncompressed portions II to slide orshift intointerlapping positions between the fibers in the adjacent compressedportions Ill of the flange, thus increasing the thickness of suchcompressed portions, as will be seen from the diagram, Fig. 9, whichrepresents the condition of the ilange of the cap at an intermediatepoint in the molding thereof vupon the bottle lip, this relativeshifting of the bers' composing the flange of the cap reducing itsdiameter or circumferential extent so that .it

v-contracts toward or against the lip I of the bottle, and uponcompletion of this molding action, the flange of the cap will be moldedintimately against the bottle lip I5 so that it conforms exactly withthe shape thereof and extends under the outwardly convexed portionthereof so that the sealing cap will be firmly locked upon the lip.Since the lip I5 of the bottle is smooth, the inner surface of theflange of the cap will be molded smoothlyagainst it,

and since the inner or ange engaging faces of the springs or pressureapplying members-I8 are smooth, the outer surface of the flange of thecap, when the molding thereof upon the bottle has been completed, willbe smooth and will have substantially the appearance shown in Fig. 7,'the compressed and uncompressed portions I0 and of the flange beingbrought by the molding operation to the same thickness so that thewallof the flange of the cap, after being molded on the bottle, will beof substantially uniform thickness. 1 The rearranging of the fiberscomposing the ange of the cap, during the molding thereof upon thebottlelip, is facilitated by the moist |9vwhich may be placed in a head2| containing the pressure applying members I8 so as' to .maintain themin a heated condition, the heat thus applied serving to expel moisturefrom the flange of the cap and to thereby impart a permanent set to theflange molded on the bottle lip. Y

'I'he springs or pressurev applying members I8 may be simultaneouslyforced radially inwardly by the means shown in my prior patenthereinbefore referred to, comprising a set of plungers slidable radiallyin the head 2| and each having the middle of one of the springs I8attached thereto as by a screw 22, and another set of plungers 23slidable radially in the head 2| between the plungers 2|! and slidablybearing against and overlapping the` adjacent ends of the respectivesprings or pressure applying members I8, all of the plungers 20 and 22being simultaneously forced inwardly by a set of levers 24 pivoted tothe head` 2| at 25 and all engaging an actuator 26 which is heldstationary while the .head 2| is lowered over the lbottle 'mouth as insaid prior patent, so that the members Il will be pressed inwardlyevenly or with equal pressure around the ange of the cap and the bottlelip. Spaces left between the ends of adjacent springs lcornpensate forthe reduction in diameter or circumferential extent of the vflange ofthe cap under the molding action thereon produced by these springs.

The bottle sealing cap provided by the present invention is capable ofbeing applied or alxed to the bottle so that it effectively seals thebottle from malicious tampering with its contents since the cap ispermanently molded on the bottle lip and is securely locked thereonbythe flange of the cap which extends beneath the outwardly convexedportion 'of the bottle lip. Removal of the seal from the bottle by theuser may be accomplished easily by a twisting and lifting force appliedthereto by the hand, but removal of the sealing capcauses splitting orbreaking of the flange of the cap in order that the lower portion of theilange of the cap may pass over the upper portion of the lip which" isof relatively greater diameter. Therefore, removal of the cap for thepurpose of tampering with the contents of the `bottle would leadV toimmediate detection, the

consequent splitting or mutilation of the flange of the cap beingplainly apparent. Since the flange of the cap covers the entire lip ofthe bottle and extends to its junction with the neck of the bottle, theange of the cap serves as a covering for the bottle lip so that bacteriaor other unsanitary matter cannot reach or lodge upon the bottle lip andhence milk or other contentsv poured from the bottle will not becontaminated. Furthermore, the sealing cap molded on the bottle islocked thereon by the inherent properties of the pulp or fibrous'material composing the flange of the cap, thus rendering it unnecessaryto use binding wire or other fastening means which is dimcult to applyand remove and is otherwise objectionable. The improved sealing capsaccording to the present invention may, ifv

desired, be made waterproof by mixing or other- Wise incorporatingparaffin or other suitable waterproofing material with the pulp orfibrous material, and when paraffin is so used, it will precludeadhering of the pressure applying members to the flange of the capincident to the molding thereof upon the bottle lip.

The herein described sealing caps according to the present invention maybe produced inexpensively and with facility, and the molding of the capsupon the bottle lips may be accomplished readily and inexpensively byrelatively simple means.y

The method herein described for forming or preparing the capis claimedin my copending application Ser. No. 250,070 led Jan. 9, 1939.

The method of applyingor aiilxing the cap to a bottle or other containerand the cap so applied are claimed in my prior application Serial No.637,308 of which this application is a division.

I claim as my invention: 1. A flanged cap for sealing the mouth ofbottle, composed of fibrous material, the flange of the cap being formedwith relatively hard and soft sectionsl alternating around itscircumference, the relatively soft sections being of greater thicknessthan the hard sections.

2. A sealing cap composed of brous material and having its peripheralportion compressed at intervals spaced circumferentially thereof onlines extending transversely of its circumference, with interveninguncompressed portions of the peripheral portion of greater thicknessthan the compressed portions thereof.

3. A cap for application to a bottle, said cap being composed of fibrousmaterial in the form of a disk-like portion and a surrounding annularflange, said flange being compressed at `inter vals spacedcircumferentially thereof on lines extending substantially in thedirection of the axis of the ilange and having intervening uncompressedportions of greater thickness than the compressed portions thereof, saiduncompressed portions of the ange being' compressible to substantiallythe same thickness as said compressed portions thereof. l

. HARRY F. KNIESCHE.

